Car and Motorbike
On the Autostrada
If you want to travel to Sardinia by car or motorbike, a ferry must first be booked.
For the journey through Austria or Switzerland, motorway vignettes must be purchased. The Italian motorways are also charge tolls.
If you are travelling in Italy for the first time, you will quickly notice that traffic rules are interpreted more generously here than in many other countries. Especially in the cities, it is advisable to simply move with the traffic and not make any sudden manoeuvres.
For some years now, the Italian police have been trying to reduce accident statistics by speed and alcohol controls.
The fines are much higher than in other countries. Those who exceed the speed limit quickly lose a few hundred euros, and those who drive under the influence of alcohol are punished particularly severely. Drivers with a blood alcohol level of 1.5 per mille or more face confiscation, expropriation and even an auction sale of the vehicle.
Outside of towns and on motorways, headlights are also compulsory during the day. You do not necessarily have to switch on the dipped headlights if your vehicle is equipped with daytime running lights.
It is also compulsory to carry safety vests. These must be kept in the vehicle and put on before leaving the vehicle in case of a breakdown. There must be one waistcoat for each occupant of the vehicle.
In Italy it is forbidden to carry spare canisters!
Motorways in Italy
There is a speed limit of 130 km/h on Italian motorways.
Long traffic jams can occur at the beginning and end of holiday periods. This should be taken into account if you don’t want to miss your ferry.
“Alt stazione!”
Motorway tolls in Italy are collected at toll booths. You take a ticket when you enter the “autostrada”, which you pay when you leave the motorway or at a station (Alt stazione!).
At these toll booths you should have your ticket and money handy, the Italians behind you quickly become impatient.
As a cash payer, get into the “cash” lanes.
For frequent travellers, there are so-called “viacards” where the amount is debited. The use of credit cards is also becoming more and more common. Separate lanes are provided for cardholders.
If you accidentally get into the wrong lane or there is a problem with the machine – do not reverse at all! This can be interpreted as “reversing on the motorway” and you can be punished accordingly.
If you press the button on the machine instead, someone will either speak to you over the loudspeaker or a receipt will appear. You can then use this receipt to pay at the next toll station. Your licence plate number is recorded by cameras.
Routes across the Alps
Motorway junction Munich North
As this is only a translation of the German website, the following route descriptions refer to the journey from Germany.
All routes can basically be done in one day from southern Germany.
Since most tourists take the motorway to Italy, there are really only two main connections: driving over the Brenner Pass or through the Sankt Gotthard Tunnel.
Nevertheless, you have the most varied combination of motorway and country road. There are often interesting sights along the way that are worth a short stopover.
The following route descriptions to the ports of Genoa and Livorno start in Frankfurt/Main and Munich. If you start from another region, you will come across the described routes on the way.
Special attention is required at Italian motorway junctions, as these are often somewhat confusing despite good signposting. A good help here is a navigation system.
Frankfurt-Genoa
Genoa
The most direct connection is the A5 to Basel.
In Switzerland (toll sticker required!), take the N2 first towards Lucerne, then through the Sankt Gotthardt Tunnel to Lugano.
After the Italian border, take the A9 towards Milan, change to the A8 shortly before Milan, then to the “Tangenziale Ovest” and finally to the A7 towards Genoa. Longer traffic jams are always to be expected near Milan.
As an alternative for those coming from the Stuttgart area, there is the route via Winterthur and Zurich.
In Zurich, drive around the city centre and then on to Lucerne. From here take the N2 to the Sankt Gotthardt Tunnel. Continue to Genoa as described above.
Attention! Before Genoa, the motorway crosses the mountains with adventurous curves and several tunnels. The motorway turns into a two-lane road, but it’s also a main route for trucks – so be aware that there could be traffic jams and that the journey cold take longer than planne before.
It is best to drive the last few kilometres from “Genova-Bolzaneto” in the right lane, as the junctions and exits are often located immediately behind bends.
Take the exit “Genova-Ovest” (“Porto”, “Navi Traghetti”) and follow the signs “Porto”, later “Terminal Traghetti”.
Always make sure you are in the right lane! If you should accidentally get onto the elevated road, it is best to drive back on it. Avoid a “city tour” at all costs!
Frankfurt-Livorno
Livorno, view from the old fortress
First follow the variants described under Frankfurt-Genoa until Milan. Then take the A1 towards Parma, turn off there onto the A15 to La Spezia and from there follow the A12 to Livorno.
In my experience, the port of Livorno is usually much quieter and more relaxed than Genoa.
After leaving the ferry, you’re also much faster on the motorway, because there aren’t so many ships docking at the same time.
A scenically interesting alternative is to first drive the route in the direction of Genoa and change to the A12 shortly before the port city. Then follow this until you reach Livorno.
Munich-Genoa
Genoa ferry port
The fastest connection is the Brenner motorway. During the holidays, however, you must always expect longer traffic jams on this route.
First drive around Munich onto the A99 in the direction of Salzburg. (Driving through the city should be reserved for those who know the area – you would hardly save any time anyway).
South of Munich, take the A8 (Salzburg) and turn onto the A93 at the “Inntaldreieck”. After the Austrian border, the motorway is now called A12 (toll sticker required!).
Follow this until Innsbruck and then take the A13 to the Brenner Pass.
Once in Italy, the name of the motorway changes to A22, which you stay on until Verona. From here, take the A4 to Brescia, then the A21 to Tortona and then the A7 to Genoa.
Please note the instructions for Genoa described under “Attention!” for the Frankfurt-Genoa route.
An alternative are the country roads through Austria. (see also “My favourite route”)
You save the toll charges, but the journey takes considerably longer. However, if you have enough time and want to enjoy the scenery, I recommend the following routes:
Via the A95 to Garmisch, then via Mittenwald to Innsbruck and here onto the B182 along the old Brenner road.
With the many junctions in Austria, you have to be careful not to get onto the motorway. If you get caught here without a vignette, it will be really expensive.
In Italy, you can also continue alongside the motorway on the SS12, but here you will only make very slow progress.
You can also leave the A8 via the “Holzkirchen” exit and then get to Innsbruck via Lake Tegernsee and the Achen-Pass.
Munich-Livorno
Brenner motorway
Follow the variants of the Munich-Genoa route as far as Verona.
From Verona, stay on the A22 and change at Modena to the A1 towards Florence. At Florence, take the A11 in the direction of Pisa and then drive the last few kilometres on the A12 to Livorno.
You can also take the A1 towards Parma at Modena, then change to the A15 towards La Spezia and from there take the A12 to Livorno. There is usually less traffic on this route.
My favourite route from Munich to Genoa
At the Lake Silvaplana
This route is especially perfect for arriving by motorbike.
Coming from Munich, take the A92 to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, here through the town in the direction of the “Fernpass”. After the pass, continue on the B178 via Imst to Landeck. It may take a while to drive through Landeck. Then head towards the Swiss border, first in the direction of the “Reschenpass”, and after Pfunds turn off into Switzerland onto the Landstrasse 27.
Here you can make a detour into the duty-free area of Samnaun. The price of a litre of Super is about 40 cents cheaper than in Germany and there are many bargains waiting in the shops.
Payment can also be made in euros in all shops.
Be sure to observe the import regulations into the EU, there are a lot of controls!
At the “Maloja Pass”
In Switzerland, the route always follows the River Inn to Sankt Moritz, then steeply down the “Maloja Pass”, on to Chiavenna in Italy. There, a well-developed, multi-lane route soon begins, which first leads through many tunnels along Lake Como and then to Milan.
Shortly before Milan, take the motorway to bypass the city (“tangenziale est” or “tangenziale ovest”) and take the A7 to Genoa.
The route from Garmisch to Lecco is exceptionally scenic and varied. There is little traffic and the journey is much more relaxed than on the motorway. When taking breaks, you don’t have to rely on the motorway rest stops and parking spaces.
In addition to the inexpensive fuel stop in Samnaun, this route also saves you the vignette and Brenner toll in Austria, and in Italy you only pay for the Milano-Genova stretch.
The only disadvantage is that the journey from Munich to Genoa takes about 9 hours.